La Primera Vez – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José
• Album: Buscando Una Sonrisa

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with "La Primera Vez" by the legendary José José! This classic romantic ballad offers a wonderful opportunity to learn Spanish through its heartfelt lyrics about the profound experience of first love. You can grasp poetic expressions of affection and discovery while immersing yourself in the emotive vocal style that made 'El Príncipe de la Canción' an icon. What makes this song special is its ability to convey universal feelings of joy and new beginnings, all delivered with José José's unparalleled vocal mastery.

[English]

This is the first time

That I'm about to say, I love you

This is the first time

That I'm about to say, I adore you

This is the first time

And I don’t know, my love, how to begin

So that I may win your heart

This is the first time

That I’ll watch the moon shine

This is the first time

That I will live, that I will dream

This is the first time

That I want to shout that at last I am happy

Because thanks to you, for the first time...

I have known love...

This is the first time

That I’ll watch the moon shine

This is the first time

That I want to live, that I want to dream

This is the first time

That I will shout that at last I am happy

Because thanks to you, for the first time...

I have known love...

...

[Spanish]

Esta es la primera vez

Que voy a decir, te quiero

Esta es la primera vez

Que voy a decir, te adoro

Esta es la primera vez

Y no se mi amor, como comenzar

Para que pueda tú cariño conquistar

Esta es la primera vez

Que voy a mirar la luna brillar

Esta es la primera vez

Que voy a vivir, que voy a soñar

Esta es la primera vez

Que quiero gritar que al fin soy feliz

Porque gracias a ti, por primera vez...

El amor conocí...

Esta es la primera vez

Que voy a mirar la luna brillar

Esta es la primera vez

Que quiero vivir, que quiero soñar

Esta es la primera vez

Que voy a gritar, que al fin soy feliz

Porque gracias a ti, por primera vez...

El amor... conocí...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
primera primera A1	adjective - first
vez vez A1	noun - time, occasion
voy voy A1	verb - I go / I am going
decir decir A1	verb - to say, to tell
quiero quiero A1	verb - I want, I love
adoro adoro A2	verb - I adore, I love deeply
amor amor A1	noun - love
comenzar comenzar A2	verb - to start, to begin
pueda pueda B1	verb - may I / could (subjunctive of poder)
cariño cariño A1	noun - affection, dear
conquistar conquistar B2	verb - to conquer, to win over
mirar mirar A1	verb - to look, to watch
luna luna A1	noun - moon
brillar brillar B1	verb - to shine, to sparkle
vivir vivir A1	verb - to live
soñar soñar B1	verb - to dream
gritar gritar A2	verb - to shout, to scream
fin fin A1	noun - end
feliz feliz A1	adjective - happy
gracias gracias A1	interjection - thanks
conocí conocí B1	verb - I met / I got to know (past of conocer)

Key Grammar Structures

• Esta es la primera vez que voy a decir, te quiero

  ➔ Construction 'Esta es la primera vez que + verb'

  ➔ The phrase "esta es la primera vez" introduces a new experience, followed by "que" + verb in the present ("voy a decir").

• Esta es la primera vez que voy a vivir, que voy a soñar

  ➔ Future intention with "voy a + infinitive"

  ➔ The verb "voy" (I am going) + "a" + infinitive expresses a near‑future plan: "voy a vivir" (I am going to live).

• No sé mi amor, cómo comenzar

  ➔ Expression of uncertainty with "no sé + cómo + infinitive"

  ➔ "No sé" (I don't know) is followed by a question word "cómo" (how) and an infinitive "comenzar" (to start).

• Porque gracias a ti, por primera vez… El amor conocí

  ➔ Causal clause with "porque" and past simple "conocí"

  ➔ "Porque" introduces the reason (thanks to you), and "conocí" is the preterite of "conocer" (I met/loved).

• Al fin soy feliz

  ➔ Idiomatic expression "al fin" meaning "finally"

  ➔ "Al fin" is placed before the verb to stress that the speaker has reached a long‑awaited state: "soy feliz" (I am happy).

• Te quiero

  ➔ Direct object pronoun "te" + verb "querer" (present)

  ➔ "Te" is the second‑person singular direct object pronoun; together with "quiero" it means "I love you".

• Mirar la luna brillar

  ➔ Infinitive complement after perception verb "mirar"

  ➔ "Mirar" (to watch) is followed by the infinitive phrase "la luna brillar" (the moon to shine), expressing what is being watched.

• Gritar que al fin soy feliz

  ➔ Verb of expression + "que" + clause (reported speech)

  ➔ "Gritar" (to shout) introduces a clause with "que"; the speaker reports what they will shout: "al fin soy feliz".